COVID-19 Update: July 1, 2021

Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues, 

We hope you and your family have a safe and happy Canada Day. Here’s what you’ll find inside today’s update:

  • BC enters Step Three of Restart Plan

  • Wearing masks in indoor public settings

  • Communicable disease prevention: a guide for employers

  • Updated public order: Food and Liquor Serving Premises

  • Updated public order: Gatherings and Events

  • Liquor store hours permanently extended

  • Webinar on July 5: Step Three Restart Plan Questions Answered

  • Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant: Deadline Tomorrow

  • BC Hospitality Foundation: Online Silent Auction Now Open

  • ABLE BC Member Feature: Sahali Liquor Store

  • Driving traffic through social media

  • New workplace accessibility grant

Find all past updates from ABLE BC here.

As always, if you have any additional questions or need to reach us you can email: jeff@ablebc.ca or danielle@ablebc.ca.

BC enters Step Three of Restart Plan

Today, British Columbia officially starts step 3 of the Restart Plan. Moving from Step 2 to Step 3 on July 1 includes: 

  • Provincial state of emergency will be removed

  • Masks are recommended, not required, in public indoor settings for people over the age of 12 and who are not yet fully vaccinated

  • Return to usual for indoor and outdoor personal gatherings

  • Increased capacity at both indoor and outdoor organized gatherings when following communicable disease prevention guidance

  • No capacity limits on fairs, festivals, or trade shows when following communicable disease prevention guidance

  • Canada-wide recreational travel

  • No group limit for indoor and outdoor dining, but socializing between tables remains prohibited

  • Liquor service hours restrictions lifted, meaning you may return to the service hours listed on your license

  • Nightclubs may reopen (with no dancing)

  • Casinos may operate with a reduced capacity and 50% of gaming stations open

  • COVID-19 Safety Plans are no longer required, but to operate businesses and workplaces must follow communicable disease prevention guidance

  • Seminars and bigger meetings allowed in workplaces

  • All indoor fitness classes allowed, usual capacity

  • Limited indoor spectators allowed at sporting events

  • No longer required to screen workers (daily healthy check) but employers need to ensure workers and patrons stay home if they are sick or come into contact with someone who has COVID-19

Physical barriers are not required in Step 3, but Dr. Henry has encouraged and recommended that barriers remain in place, particularly those that protect workers. Visit this WorkSafeBC page for more information on suggested protocols in step 3.

The earliest target start date for Step 4 is September 7. View the full Restart Plan here.

Wearing masks in indoor public settings

The mandatory indoor mask mandate has been removed and replaced with public health guidance recommending masks in indoor public spaces for individuals over the age of 12 and not fully immunized.

Wearing your mask indoors will be done based on the honour system. For instance, it is not your responsibility to ask someone for proof they are fully immunized.

That being said, it is important to have conversations with your staff and gauge their comfort level on wearing or not wearing masks in the workplace. Operators will also have to be mindful that customers will have different comfort levels with mask use. This is something you will to take into account for your business.

Communicable disease prevention: a guide for employers

Beginning with Step 3 (July 1), employers are no longer required to maintain a COVID-19 Safety Plan, and instead may transition to communicable disease prevention.

Download this new resource from WorkSafeBC.

This guide provides information for employers to develop a communicable disease plan. An effective plan includes general measures to reduce the risk of communicable disease and additional measures for when there’s an elevated risk of communicable disease. It is not meant for employers who have an existing exposure control plan related to communicable disease, such as health care employers.

Please click here for full WorkSafeBC guidance as we move into Step 3.

Updated public order: Food and Liquor Serving Premises

The following changes are effective July 1, 2021 at 9:00 am:

  • Capacity: the operator must determine the maximum number of patrons who can be accommodated safely on the premises, taking into consideration the requirements in Part A of the public order, and must document this maximum number.

  • Congregation: the operator must take steps to prevent the congregation of patrons outside the premises and must assess the premises for places where patrons may congregate and put in place measures to avoid congregation.

  • Patrons must be seated: if patrons consume food or drink on the premises, other than a tasting room with a liquor manufacturer license, there must be sufficient seating for them and patrons must be seated while in the premises.

  • Patrons cannot move around between tables

  • Patrons must remain seated when in a premises, other than a cafeteria or tasting room with a liquor manufacturer’s license, except:

    • To use a self-serve food or drink station

    • To use a juke box, self-serve lottery ticket dispenser, or pay at a pay station

    • To use washroom facilities

    • To provide assistance to another person who requires care or first aid

    • To leave or return to the premises

  • Patrons can stand to play pool, billiards, snooker, or darts, or bowl, but must do so with other people who are in the same party and who are seated with the patron.

  • Dance floors must be closed with physical barriers or occupied with tables, unless they are being used for a dance performance

  • A patron must not dance on the premises

What has been removed from the public order (i.e. is allowed effective July 1 at 9:00 am):

  • Physical distancing: patrons no longer have to maintain a distance of two metres from other patrons

  • Physical barriers: patrons who are not in the same party no longer need to be separated by a physical barrier. While physical barriers are no longer required, Dr. Henry has said they will continue to encourage barriers remain in place, particularly those that protect workers. Visit this WorkSafeBC page for more information on suggested protocols in step 3.

  • Bar service: under the former public order, liquor could only be served to patrons who were seated. This has been removed and bar service is now permitted. Patrons however must be seated when consuming food and drink and/or if they remain on the premises.

  • Group limits: there are no limits on the number of people who can be seated together

  • Contact tracing: the requirement for contact tracing was removed in step two of BC’s restart plan

  • Singing and Karaoke: the clause stating that patrons must not sing or engage in Karaoke on the premises has been removed in the new public order, meaning Karaoke is now permitted

  • Live performers: there are no rules in the current order around separating performers and patrons by at least three metres

  • Hours of liquor service: liquor service hours restrictions have been lifted, meaning you may return to the service hours listed on your license

For more information, please read the public order. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact info@ablebc.ca.

Changes for Nightclubs

ABLE BC has been working behind the scenes for the past 2 days to amend the rules for nightclubs.

Despite previous reports, the above public order for Food and Liquor Serving Premises does apply to nightclubs.

This means that nightclubs may operate without limits on group sizes or any need to maintain distance between tables (previously reported requirement of no more than 10 people at a table and tables having to be two metres apart are not in force). Customers are required to remain seated, are prohibited from dancing, and may not socialize between.

Updated public order: Gatherings and Events

The following changes are effective July 1, 2021 at 9:00 am:

Outside Events

  • No more than 5,000 persons, or 50% of the seated operating capacity of a place, excluding event staff, whichever number is greater, are present

  • There is seating available for each participant

  • Participants are seated throughout the place in such a way as to use all available space

  • Collecting contact information is no longer required

  • Dancing is allowed at outdoors events

  • For full conditions, please read the public order

Inside Events

  • No more than 50 persons, or 50% of the seated operating capacity of the place, excluding event staff, whichever number is greater, are present

  • There is seating available for each participant, and each participant is assigned to a seat or a table

  • Participants are seated throughout the place in such a way as to use all available space

  • Participants stay in the seat to which they are assigned, and do not move from seat to seat

  • Dance floors are closed with physical barriers or occupied with tables, unless they are being used for a dance performance

  • Participants do not dance

  • For full conditions, please read the public order

For more information, please read the public order. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact info@ablebc.ca.

Liquor store hours permanently extended

Liquor retailers authorized to open earlier for the safety and convenience of their customers during the COVID-19 pandemic now have the option to maintain their expanded morning hours.

In April 2020, government temporarily authorized liquor retailers, such as wine stores and private liquor stores, to open as early as 7 am, to facilitate physical distancing for seniors and those who are immunocompromised. This temporary authorization was originally set to expire on June 30, 2021.

However, in response to industry feedback and to ensure businesses can continue to support their customers – particularly seniors and those who live in rural areas, who have benefited from the convenience of extended retail hours – the Province is permanently allowing liquor retailers throughout BC to operate between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm daily, if they choose to do so.

This permanent change relates to in-store shopping only. Liquor delivery may occur only after 9:00 am and the authorization for unlicensed third-party delivery services to deliver liquor at 7:00 am expires on June 30, 2021.

These changes do not override any additional requirements or limitations placed on hours of liquor service by local governments or First Nations.

For more information, please read Policy Directive 21-13.

Webinar on July 5: Step Three Restart Plan Questions Answered

Join go2HR for a webinar on July 5, 2021 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm PT: Workplace Safety in Step 3 – What You Need to Know. Register here. 

The webinar features expert panelists Mark Lysyshyn, Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer at Vancouver Coastal Health and Lisa Houle, Manager, OHS Consultation and Education Services at WorkSafeBC. Learn how to implement a robust communicable disease program for step 3 of the BC Restart and get your questions answered. 

Webinar topics include:

  • How to build an effective communicable disease program for step 3 of the BC Restart

  • How to relax existing controls for workers and customers

  • When you can (or should) enforce the wearing of masks and other controls in the workplace

  • Key considerations around occupancy levels, including for events and meetings

  • The practicalities of a gradual transition out of your COVID-19 safety plan and how to communicate changes to workers and customers

  • The forecast: fall flu season and the potential impacts of variants of concern

Register today for this informative industry event! Participants will have an opportunity to pre-submit a question for expert advice.

Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant: Deadline Tomorrow

Earlier this month, government extended the deadline for the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant to July 2, 2021.

Grants of $10,000 to $30,000 are still available to small and medium sized B.C. businesses impacted by COVID-19. An additional $5,000 to $15,000 grant is available to eligible tourism-related businesses. 

Businesses apply for funding online. Learn more and apply here.

BC Hospitality Foundation: Online Silent Auction Now Open

BC Hospitality Foundation x BC Chapter of Meeting Professionals International online silent auction is now open! Click here to view the list of auction items and place bids.

Auction items include:

  • Two-night stay at the luxurious Oak Bay Beach Hotel

  • Gift certificates to a wide range of top local restaurants

  • A round at the Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club

  • Helijet transportation from Victoria to Vancouver

  • And many more!

The auction runs until 11:59 pm on July 9, 2021. Click here to place your bid.

The auction is a fundraiser for the BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) being held in conjunction with the BC Chapter of MPI’s “g-ALE-a” event being held at craft breweries across BC on Wednesday, July 7. Tickets for the fun evening out may be purchased online.

The BCHF provides monetary assistance for hospitality industry workers facing financial crisis due to a serious health condition experienced by themselves or a family member. The registered charity also administers a scholarship program that fosters the development of the next generation of hospitality industry workers and leaders.

ABLE BC Member Feature: Sahali Liquor Store

Located in the hub of the city, Sahali Liquor Store in Kamloops, BC has become the go-to place for wine-lovers and craft beer connoisseurs alike. It’s been serving the area for 18 years, and its prime location in an established neighbourhood near Thompson Rivers University means everyone from university students to business professionals come through the doors. 

With 28 cooler doors and almost 6,000 square feet of floor space, Manager Linda Coles tries to stock the best of the best from local craft breweries and wineries as well as customer favourites from around the world.

Read more about ABLE BC Member Sahali Liquor Store in the summer 2021 issue of the Quarterly Pour.

Driving traffic through social media

Social media is here to stay as a legitimate part of your marketing agenda, but implementing social media can be very much like grocery shopping with no list if you don’t know where to start. Using social media for your business requires focus and a plan.

In the summer 2021 issue of the Quarterly Pour, ABLE BC Associate Member and Town Hall Brands Owner and Agency Director Leeann Froese shares practical tips for driving traffic to your establishment through social media. Read the article here.

New workplace accessibility grant

The Workplace Accessibility Grant program provides direct supports to small business employers in British Columbia by providing direct financial assistance towards creating an inclusive work environment for persons with a disability(ies).

Find the list of eligible covered services by type of barriers addressed here.

The grant will be administered beginning June 21, 2021 through April 30, 2022 on a first come first served basis. The maximum allowable grant will be $1000/business.

For more information and to apply, please click here.

Ann Brydle